Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Iron Maiden - The X Factor (1995)

Iron Maiden's 10th album "The X Factor" is mostly recognized as the first record since the 1981 album "Killers" without Bruce Dickinson, who left the band to pursue a solo career. Instead, we have Blaze Bayley, who today is known as the singer of Wolfsbane, Blaze Bayley and the newly composed band The Foundry. A good replacement? Well, sadly no. No offense Blaze, you are a really good singer, but you do not have the same power and range like Dickinson have. So you would see that "The X Factor" was doomed from the very beginning.

Just by looking at the cover, where Eddie is being gruesomely tortured, you could already hint that "The X Factor" would become the darkest Maiden piece up to date. Just the fact that the band starts the album with the 11 minute epic "Sign of The Cross" is just dark and twisted. The song is good, but it is more suited as a closing song instead of a opener. And that song is a big proof that Bruce is a lot better on these epic and long notes then what Blaze will ever be.

"Sign of The Cross" is together with "Lord of The Flies" and "Man On The Edge" the most famous song on "The X Factor", and all of these three songs are first on this album. "Lord of The Flies" has a good riff and a catchy melody, while "Man On The Edge" emerges as a powder keg filled with a "Aces High" beat and a repetitive, but epic and great chorus.

So "The X Factor" is strong from the starting blocks, but it loses some of the momentum during the race. The sluggish "Fortunes of War" starts the downward slope, even if it picks up some speed in the end. The ride down continues with "Look For The Truth" and "The Aftermath", two very anonymous songs that needs heavy duty glue to stick onto my head.

But as the finish line is visible on the horizon, "The X Factor" picks up speed again and finally starts to deliver. First is "Judgement of Heaven" that impresses with its epic musicality and inspiring lyrical theme. Then we have the aggressive "Blood On The World's Hands" that has the best beat and the best vocal performance on this album, but the minute long slow start could have easily been skipped. The last song that leaves a standing impression on me is the emotional "2 AM" that has some of the best musical work on this album.

But the overall performance is weak. The darkness in this album weighs down the otherwise fantastic ingenuity that the band usually shows and Blaze's voice tries hard, but it cannot give the music that special dimension that Bruce's voice can. There are some bright spots in "Man On The Edge" and "Judgement of Heaven", but this album is just a very pale, dark rip off compared to the likes of "Powerslave" and "Seventh Son of A Seventh Son". If you are a Maiden fan or wish to look into the band's discography, take caution with this album. Because this is far from the Maiden that we know and love.

Songs worthy of recognition: Man On The Edge, Judgement of Heaven, Blood On The World's HandsRating: 4,5/10 Aftermaths

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Greetings from the Gates

Hi fellow metal head. My name is Robert Andersson but I am also known as Sharkruisher, and in this blog, I will review albums from every corner in the metal world. Everything from Iron Maiden, Bullet For My Valentine, Dream Theater, Amon Amarth, and many, many more.

My main focus is new releases but I will also look back on the careers of some of the biggest bands. I will also from time to time write reviews of books, films and other media (mostly related to metal).

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Q & A

Q: Who the hell are you?

A: A Swedish man around his 20's that loves metal.

Q: Where did you get the name of the blog and your username?

A: The blog name is taken from a song by the thrash metal band Forbidden (the song comes from the album "Omega Wave" (2010)). As for the username, I originally took the name from a Hot Wheels car and just happened to misspell it. The name of the car was Sharkruiser, but my stupid mind added an h to make it Sharkruisher (and yes, the car looked like a shark). But still, it sounded cool and it have followed me since i came up with it around 7 years ago.

Q: Which band/artist is your all time favourite?

A: One does not simply name only one favourite band/artist.

Q: Do you have any other interests?

A: I am also into sports, especially football, athletics and American football. I also enjoy playing video games, mostly rhythm, racing and platformers.

Q: What can I expect from this blog?

A: Reviews of both new and old albums from almost every corner of the metal universe. Also some other reviews from time to time (movies, books, shows and more)

Q: How often do you post a review?

A: I try to keep a steady schedule of three posts a week (most of the time it is reviews of two new albums and an older album on Thursdays for my discography reviews), but that can change pending on my personal life.

Q: Are you doing a review of everything you listen to?

A: No, that would take too much of my free time. I would say that I write a review of 1/4 of the amount of albums I listen too.

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https://twitter.com/ForsakenGates

Q: Why do you not make a review of [insert random album name here]?

A: Mostly because I go on my own taste. You can give me a suggestion if you want to, but it is not sure that I will do a review of that album (but I am open for any tips and suggestions, so do not be afraid to ask me).

Q: Can I express my own opinion of the album.

A: Sure, just type you opinion in the commentary section at the end of the review, but keep it clean, no stupidity or ignorance allowed.

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Q: I am in a band and we have recently released a album. Will you do a review of it?

A: Absolutely, but if your band plays the darkest of black metal or whimpy ass rock (like Nickelback), I will most likely not review it because you will probably get a bad review from me with a low rating (and I am sure that you do not want that). Also, I am definitely open for digital downloads, but if you have the chance to send me a real copy of your album, I would appreciate it more.

Still want me to review it? Then send me a mail to sharkruisher13@gmail.com and we can discuss the situation.

Q: Do you review EPs, demos and Singles?

A: EPs: yes, but only if it the band wants me to write a review for them.

Demos: no

Singles: hell no

Q: Are you in a band?

A: No, mostly because I am pretty incompetent when it comes to instruments (I do plan on learning the guitar eventually though). I also do not have the time.

Q: Will you do interviews?

A: You should never say never, but I am not that good of a journalist, so no.

If you have any other question, then send it to my E-mail sharkruisher13@gmail.com or give me a tweet @ForsakenGates and I will try to answer it as soon as possible